


Amantes

by maddy_does (favefangirl)



Series: Camelove 2021 [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Forbidden Love, M/M, Master/Servant, Party, Polyamory, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29382750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/favefangirl/pseuds/maddy_does
Summary: When Arthur is kidnapped from a ball being held for his father, he finds he doesn't mind his captors.
Relationships: Gwen/Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Camelove 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2151495
Comments: 10
Kudos: 31
Collections: Camelove 2021





	Amantes

**Author's Note:**

> [@Camelove2021](https://camelove2021.tumblr.com/) Day 5 - The More the Merrier

Arthur watched Merlin and Gwen across the room. They laughed and teased one another, Gwen bracing a hand against Merlin’s chest as she fell about herself with laughter. Arthur couldn’t hear it above the din of the party, but he could imagine its bright, light melody. A knight paused in front of Arthur to ask about the festivities, momentarily blocking Arthur’s view.

Arthur forced a smile and made small talk even as he attempted to peer over the knight’s shoulder to catch a glimpse of Merlin and Gwen in the corner. He wasn’t sure if anyone else had even noticed them, two servants in their own little world, but Arthur had been able to pay attention to little else. The candlelight cast shadows over the sharp lines of Merlin’s face making him look ethereal, and Gwen looked stunning with her hair down to her shoulders wearing a plain, but pretty dress. 

He longed to cross the room and join them. No doubt Merlin was mocking the decoration and the excessive propriety of the guests, whilst Gwen admonished him for his rudeness, and spoke wistfully of balls and music. He would side with Merlin, just to tease Gwen, and pretend like he wasn’t imagining guiding her across a dancefloor. They would make him laugh, and he would stand just a little too close to be nothing, but far enough away that they didn’t draw attention. It would be a far better way of spending an evening than making dull conversation with men of rank, and avoiding the scrutinizing gaze of his father.

By the time the knight had moved along, so too had Merlin and Gwen. Arthur searched desperately for them, whilst maintaining an air of carelessness. He couldn’t be seen to be showing too much attention to a pair of servants, the talk would be vicious. However much he hated that elitist line of thinking, he knew he had to treat it with due diligence. He was a Prince, and the title meant certain expectations, however much he might detest them. He took another slow sip of his ale, watching over the rim of the cup, but couldn’t see them.

He decided to do a lap of the room, hoping that he’d be able to reposition himself where he’d be able to watch them from afar. It was as much of a comfort as he could hope for - as he could ever hope for. Involvement with a servant was one thing, not necessarily frowned upon, but certainly viewed as the kind of trivial flight of fancy that so defines the young. But to love, and to love _two_?

Arthur would never dare voice his feelings to his father. The daughter of a blacksmith and a man whose only connections were the court physician - he would be laughed out of the room, his feelings be damned. He allowed himself to think, sometimes, of what things might be like when he was king and the law was in his hands. He could marry whoever he wanted in theory, but he knew practice could never be so just. To marry poorly would be to put the kingdom at risk, and he would break his own heart a million times over before destroying Camelot. It was enough to watch his loves across a crowded room, and treasure the scarce but beautiful moments he was able to share with them, ignoring the finite nature of such liaisons.

Except he was unable to see them. He sucked in his cheeks as he paused by the doors, searching fruitlessly for any sign of them. He tensed, taking another tasteless sip of his drink to appear normal as he calculated his next move. He couldn’t think where they were, try as he might. He took an aborted step away from the door, before reconsidering. If he continued to do laps of the room all evening without making conversation, that would draw more attention. But if he stayed still, he was less likely to find Merlin and Gwen. He pondered a moment. No, better to-

A hand slapped across his mouth as he felt himself tugged backwards. In a wave of the drapes, through the door he was pulled, out into the corridor. Instinctively he reached for his sword. He turned on his heel, ready to cry out and attack, but was stopped in his tracks by Merlin bent double laughing at him, and Gwen before him with a finger to her lips. He couldn’t tell if she was trying to silence him, or her own uncontrollable giggles. He straightened up and moved his hand away from his sword to frown at them.

“Come on,” Merlin said around a grin, nodding up the corridor.

Gwen grabbed Arthur’s hand and began pulling him along after her as she followed before he even had chance to voice his confusion. He tried questioning what they were doing and where they were going, but his protestations were ignored as he was led through the castle. The direction seemed entirely random at first, darting up one corridor than down the next, and it wasn’t until they came to a stop in an eerily quiet alcove that Arthur realised why - they were avoiding the guards.

“What the hell is going on?” Arthur demanded, but he was no more able to fend off a smile than his companions were.

“Shhh,” Merlin laughed, “We’re kidnapping the Prince!”

“Wha-” Gwen giggled at his bewilderment and began dancing up the corridor, leading herself in a waltz and humming a song Arthur didn’t recognise. “You’re drunk,” he accused, shaking his head as Gwen nearly tripped over her own dress. She looked up the corridor to meet Merlin’s eyes, and the pair of them exploded into uncontrollable peals of laughter. “Lunacy,” Arthur mumbled under his breath.

“You’re not nearly drunk enough,” Merlin countered, tone decisive, holding out a bottle.

Arthur wasn’t sure where his ale had gotten to, and this certainly wasn’t it. This was wine, a fruity red that Arthur had a particular penchant for. “I could have you thrown in the stocks for stealing from the king,” Arthur scolded, even as he took the bottle and drank from it.

He watched Gwen as he did so. She was back to dancing, her hair swirling around her like a halo, and her dress billowing in air. She looked weightless. She was beautiful. Arthur took another long drink from the bottle, and out of the corner of his eye caught sight of Merlin watching him intently. He pulled the bottle away from his mouth, planning on asking what Merlin was staring at, when Merlin’s lips replaced it. Arthur’s eyes closed automatically as Merlin cupped the sides of his face. The kiss was gentle, yet consuming. Merlin’s presence was as intoxicating as the alcohol.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” Merlin confessed.

It took a moment for Arthur to come back to himself and open his eyes. When he did, Merlin’s were boring into his, dark and intense. Arthur had to swallow thickly. Merlin winked as he brought the wine to his mouth and took a long sip. Arthur had been so absorbed, he hadn’t even processed Merlin taking the bottle from his hand. He watched Merlin’s throat as he swallowed around the wine, long and pale, making an event of it as he always did. 

Merlin held the bottle back out to him, but Arthur just shook his head and pulled Merlin back in for another kiss. Merlin hummed against his mouth as their lips pressed together once more. With his hands free, Arthur was better able to wrap his arms around Merlin and pull him close, until their fronts were pressed entirely together. Arthur wanted to devour him, and would have, had Gwen not appeared by his side to pull his face away. 

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips as though to get his attention, then said, “Dance with me,” and it wasn’t a request.

Merlin chuckled as Gwen pulled Arthur up the corridor where she’d been dancing herself just moments before. She pressed her body against Arthur’s and led them to sway in a circle. It was unlike any dance Arthur had seen in a ballroom, but he found he enjoyed it far more than he ever had any other. Gwen was still humming the unfamiliar melody, this time into the side of his neck, sending vibrations against his pulse that tickled slightly. Her perfume was faint and floral, but it enveloped him all the same.

As they swayed, Arthur found himself facing Merlin once more. His breath caught at the look of love he was sending their way, so fond and beautiful. Gwen ceased her song intermittently, to press gentle kisses against his throat, above the hem of his cloak. He didn’t think at all of how this was forbidden, nor how it inevitably came with an expiration date. Instead, he held the woman he loved close, and watched the man he loved take shallow swallows of wine, illuminated by the moonlight _(ethereal),_ and he let peace wash over him for once.

**Author's Note:**

> i can never decide how i feel about ot3s, or about this ship, but it was fun to have a go!
> 
> a huge, huge, huge thank you to everyone who commented on my last couple of fics. you're all beautiful and i would die for every single one of you <3
> 
> anyway, if you wanna leave a comment or a kudos they're much appreciated! especially let me know if there's something you think i forgot to tag! 
> 
> i'm taking prompts! if you're interested please drop the prompt in the comments below. if you do send a prompt be prepared for me to take fifty years to fill it because uni is so hard, but i promise i'll try! come say hi on tumblr: [@maddy-does](https://maddy-does.tumblr.com/)
> 
> thanks for reading, have a wonderful existence.


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